Chad Norman's Webby Things : Community

Find Your Local Social Media Club

Chad Norman — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:50:00 GMT

There's no such thing as a social media expert - it's impossible to know it all. Every day we learn new tricks from each other, and a robust network is needed to make this happen. I've often cited Twitter as the "best professional development platform out there", but social nets like Facebook, LinkedIn, FriendFeed, Delicious, StumbleUpon, and Slideshare certainly bring in the knowledge too. But sometimes networking with atoms instead of pixels can add value, and that's where Social Media Club comes in...

Social Media Club was formed in 2006 by two San Francisco locals as a way to learn and network by discussing this growing technology channel. Since then, over 70 chapters have sprung up around the world (95 more are forming), and 501c3 status is on the way thanks to the hard work of a group of 5 directors and 40+ industry advisers. As the organization grows, its focus will remain on 4 key initiatives: media literacy, sharing lessons learned, encouraging adoption of industry standards, and promoting ethical behavior.

If you're looking to expand your knowledge about social media, or share what you already know, see if there is a Social Media Club chapter near you. If not, ping your network for interest and start one. There is a ton of information on their website, wiki, and Facebook group that can help get your inspired, which is exactly what happened to me.

Last fall, six of us here in Charleston formed our local chapter. After starting with casual meetings, we kicked off the first big event with a panel called "Social Media in the Media". This was a huge success, and the community responded favorably. This week, we held our second panel discussion, Social Media 101, which had an even bigger turnout, participation level, and some great conversations. Despite only having these two major events, many of us have already learned new things, made new connections, and been forced to actually put down our laptops and iPhones to interact with our peers - all good stuff.

So if you're sitting around wondering how your organization or business can better use social media, and you're tired of reading blogs, articles, and Twitter updates, seek out Social Media Club. And once you do, remember there is only one rule about Social Media Club: ALWAYS talk about Social Media Club. Spread the word!

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6 Dogooding Webby Things Your Nonprofit Should Check Out

Chad Norman — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:19:00 GMT

The Internet, nonprofits, and cause-based action have been natural partners since day one, not unlike peanut butter and jelly...and, um, more jelly. So it's no surprise that the successes nonprofits have seen with social media are constantly being cited, something I observed at SXSW. This happens because social technology works, and new methods of interacting with supporters are emerging every week. Here are six great webby things that every dogooder should check out:

Act.ly
A tactful use of a petition can work wonders for a cause, and Act.ly is an easy way to integrate this activity into your Twitter strategy. Act.ly allows petitions to be created that target Twitter users (politicians, businesses, organizations, etc.). The platform provides a way for your supporters to sign the petition, send a tweet about the effort, see others that have joined the cause, and embed a badge on their own sites. Check out how the League of Conservation Voters is using the platform to urge Oprah to discuss President Obama's clean energy plan, and then integrating the petition into their home page. www.act.ly

Facebook Fan Box
Having a Facebook Fan page is a great way to engage supporters, and many organizations are integrating these pages into their overall communications strategy. The Facebook Fan Box is an embeddable widget you can place on your website, blog, and other web properties to integrate the Facebook experience. Visitors can use the Fan Box to become a fan, view status updates, see who is supporting your cause, and read what they are saying. The Lance Armstrong Foundation uses the widget to connect connect fans with Lance himself, and drive visitors to this valuable social channel. www.facebook.com

IdealistNews
Using social news sites like Digg, Yahoo Buzz, Mixx, and Reddit can bring new visitors to your cause, but only if your stories don't get lost in the vast pool of content. Idealist.org has partnered with Reddit to create IdealistNews, a nonprofit-focused social news platform. Once your organization's news stories and blog posts have been submitted, users have the opportunity to vote them up. The more votes, the more likely people are to hear your message. www.idealist.org

Actions for Facebook
For advocacy-based organizations, providing easy ways to communicate with politicians is critical to success. Grassroots Enterprises has released Actions for Facebook, and powerful online advocacy application for Facebook. The tool makes it easy to turn your fans into activists by helping them send letters to state and federal officials, find appropriate local activities, and invite friends to participate. Features like widgets, unique URLs, and data collection make it easy to integrate into your communication strategy. www.grassroots.com

eBay Giving Works
While this isn't exactly new, I like that eBay helps users create positive change with every purchase. eBay Giving Works allows buyers to find sellers that support good causes, give direct donations via PayPal, and enables sellers to donate proceeds to nonprofits. All you have to do is sign-up your org to participate in the program. www.ebay.com

Good.ly
If your organization is using Twitter, then you're probably familiar with URL shortening tools like bit.ly, ow.ly, and TinyURL.com. Good.ly has taken the short URL business into the nonprofit sector by generating donations from users. When purchases are made from Good.ly click-throughs, a portion of the referral fee goes to one of three featured charities. While this may not be a financial windfall for the nonprofits, it is still a great application of technology for social good. www.good.ly

I also want to give a shout out to a few other webby things I've been digging lately. Check out Geoff Livingston's List of Change for a dynamic list of the most popular nonprofit blogs. Socialbright is a great resource that can help your nonprofit use social media, as is Social by Social. And of course there is the Summer of Social Good, Mashable's push to promote dogooding through social media.

Power to Your Peeps! Why Real-time Fundraising with Twitter Works

Chad Norman — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:22:00 GMT

I dig speaking at nonprofit conferences and events, and one of my favorite topics to cover is the real-time use of social media. It's the perfect mix of emerging technologies, social media, communities, and the web - some of my favorite things.

The conversations inevitably get stymied around Twitter - which is no surprise, as every nonprofit is trying to figure out what the tool means for them. A channel for promoting your mission? A monitor for listening to chatter about your cause? A way to connect your org to your community? It's all of those things, but it's also something else: a real-time fundraising tool!

Raising money on Twitter is happening all the time. Beth Kanter stood on stage at Gnomedex and used Twitter to help raise $2,657 in 90 minutes. Last November, Tweetsgiving used Twitter to raise over $10,000 in 48 hours for a school in Tanzania. And just last month, I used Twitter to raise $350 in a couple hours to help send the NTEN staff out for a relaxing excursion. These examples show just some of the ways Twitter can enable real-time fundraising. Clearly it works...but why?

Tara Hunt calls it Whuffie. Chris Brogan calls it the Trust Economy. I call it the Deep Network. Real-time fundraising works because of social capital...because we tend to trust the people in our network. When an org sends an email, the open rate can be low - but when a person sends an email to friends, the open rate is 90%! This is because of trust, and works the same way with Twitter or any other people-based network. When we build up large, diverse networks consisting of supporters, friends, and peers, we are creating a bank of trust to draw upon when needed. When it comes time to ask your network for something, they will not need the time to interpret your motivation - because they know you and your org. And some will be ready to act...right then!

So use Twitter for listening, communicating, and promoting, but don't overlook the platform as a vehicle for real-time action. Build your network around mutual trust, a sense of community, and personal attention. If you've taken the time to cultivate a trusting, loyal, and engaged following, you should be able to turn that social capital into financial capital - and in a hurry if need be. After all, when you're among friends, it's never hard to ask!

Lights. Camera. Help. Brings DoGooding to the Big Screen

Chad Norman — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:43:00 GMT

While in San Francisco last week at The Nonprofit Technology Conference, I ran into one of my favorite dogooders: David Neff. Never short on energy and enthusiasm, David was even more pumped than usual. And why not?...he was just about to launch a great new nonprofit!

Lights. Camera. Help. is the premiere film festival exclusively for nonprofit and grassroots organizations, and they officially opened their submission process last Friday. A film festival for nonprofits like this is the first of its kind in the nation, and will provide a valuable platform for organizations and grassroots movements to be recognized for their work.

Anything that promotes the use of video is OK in my book, as almost nothing can engage and go viral like a thought-provoking film. Nonprofits have been using services like YouTube and DoGooder.tv for a while now, so recognizing orgs for their hard work feels like a natural next step. If you've got a great feature, short film, PSA, or other video content, submit it for entrance into the festival by June 30.

Aaaaaaaannnnnnnnd, scene.

15 Clay Shirky Quotes That Blew My Mind at NTC

Chad Norman — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:23:00 GMT

I had been looking forward to Clay Shirky's plenary at the 2009 Nonprofit Technology Conference for a while, and he did not let me down. Keeping in theme with his almost dead-on resemblance to Tom Hanks, his words/message/thoughts resonated around the room like Forest Gump on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Had the WiFi in the room not gone down, I am almost certain Twitter would have collapsed under the weight of our collective epiphanies.

If you haven't read Clay's book Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations, be sure to take a look. It's required reading for anyone working with online communities and social capital, and his talk today took the book's concepts to a new level. I mean, after the debut of NTEN executive director Holly Ross's Beyonce tribute video, I thought it couldn't get any better. It did.

There were a few people Qiking the talk, and I'm pretty sure NTEN recorded it as well, so hopefully you'll have a chance to check out the whole thing soon. In the mean time, here are 15 quotes from this morning that absolutely blew my mind. I realize they are totally out of context, but like a fortune cookie they may bring you valuable insight. Enjoy!

"The loss of control you fear is already in the past."

"We're not good at thinking fast. We are good at feeling fast."

"Tools don't get socially interesting until they get technologically boring."

"Once one person solves the problem once, the problem stays solved for everybody."

"The intention of users has more impact than the intention of the designers."

"Each of us is simultaneously an individual person and a global publisher."

"Start small and good, then make it bigger."

"We spend more time figuring out whether something is a good idea than we would have just trying it."

"Don't hire consultants. Hire your own 23-year-olds."

"Just take our organization and add some Internet."

"It's not just about delivering content to members, it's about the convening power to help members discover each other."

"Fail informatively - Fail like crazy."

"My guess is that the high water mark of Facebook's universality has passed."

"Nothing says dictatorship like arresting people for eating ice cream. The problem wasn't the ice cream, it was the group."

"I was just making things up."